


Spread out your wings!

by Sandentwins



Series: Tales of Earth and Alternia [6]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fairies, Hospitalization, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-03
Updated: 2013-06-03
Packaged: 2017-12-13 20:30:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/828552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fairies are a subspecies of trolls, and do not behave quite the same. When they swear loyalty over one who saves them, they never break their oath; and when they use their powers, it is never without changing one's life forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The day I met him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place in 1990, Altownia, at the same epoch than Playing the Corrupted Hearts' Song. You'd have guessed at that point that no, it isn't the same John. Their family trees are no way similar, and you can use these variations to see who's who.  
> This John here is the son of Jade from [Foster Child](http://archiveofourown.org/works/890980). You're confused? That's okay. I am too.

The rain was falling all over my head. I had to run under the bearing storm,my wet glasses blurring my vision,my clothes totally drenched and my bag even more. Why was Dad always working when it was raining? Why was I too young to have my own car? Hopefully I had the keys. I opened the door,my hands freezing on the cold metal,and finally had some warmth inside. It was so good to feel. I quickly closed the door,put my bag and my jacket next to the fireplace already lit up,and collapsed on the couch in the living-room. I buried my hear in a pillow,not caring about the water puddles forming under my feet.  
We were Friday. I had some homeworks,but all the week-end to do these. Dad wouldn't be back home until 7:00 p.m,so I had two hours alone. I could watch TV,or chat with my friends. But I was tired,and would rather stay here,lying on the couch,thinking about nothing in particular. My eyes slowly closed. Outside,the thunder was rolling,roaring. A lightning stroke,illuminating the houses all around the street. The fire was cracking,burning old newspapers. A blast of wind in the chimney suddenly put it out. I was now cold,but didn't much care because I was asleep.  
In my dream,I heard a voice. It was an usual dream. A high-pitched,soft voice,talking in an unknown language. The only thing I could see was glitter. A yellow-green glitter,falling from the sky. I didn't understood,and watched the lime tiny stars raining,until I woke up. I was in my bed. I had a glimpse at my watch; 19:35. My schoolbag was under my desk,all dried. Somebody put fresh clothes on my pillow,and a piece of chocolate cake on my bedtable. Thank you very much,I love you,Dad. I put on the dry clothes,let the cake where it was,and looked through the window. It was still raining. The tree tire was shaking with the wind,as well as the green pogo ride. The leaves were falling under the squalls,whirling on the gusts,before alighting in the roadside gutter. I felt bad for the birds. I took a notebook out of my bag,sat on my deskchair,and began to read today's Math lesson about vectors.

"So,by Chasles' theorem blah blah blah...AB+BC=AC alright..."

The wind was whistling so loud. The rain was turning every single hole in the ground into a real pond. I tried to concentrate on these stupid arrows.

"Three times ->u blah blah boring blah..."

I filled in the blank in the sentences,and drew the arrow on a grid. I closed the note,and took the History book. The wind had now gone totally crazy. My table light was very weak,compared to outside's darkness. I had to be almost the nose above the pages to read.

"Hmm,I know this already. Next chapter."

I was in the middle of a text about the Roman citizenship,when I heard something outside.  
I raised my head. What was this? Like if...something just hit the window. A stone? No,it seemed lighter,like a...bird. I carefully opened the window,and saw the strangiest thing ever. Without any more thoughts,I brought it inside,and quickly closed.  
It wasn't a bird. Nor a stone. It was someone. Someone very tiny,tall as a pencil. He (she?) had little pointy ears,like elfs,but a light-grey skin,and wee orange horns on his (her?) black hair. I think it was a boy. He had clothes which,when I looked closer,were made of knitted leaves and flower petals. He was drenched,shivering,and unconscious. I carefully put him in my bed,and covered him with one of my shirts. I turned on the radiator,and stayed near to the little boy. He was so tiny,even for a midget. Even for a puppet. I gently blew some warm air on his small body,fearing the worst. But finally,after long minutes,he opened his smidgen eyes.

"Hey,little boy",I softly said. "Are...are you okay?"

He blinked. His eyes were golden yellow,with iron grey pupils. He was looking at me,not saying a word,but was afraid,I could tell it. But he didn't move.

"I...I'm not gonna harm you. Can you talk? Do you understand me?"

He tried to stand up,but fell on my bedsheets. He had a bleeding leg.

"Did you got hurt? Do you want me to do something?"

No answer. I carefully took him on my hand. He was light as a flower,and so cold. Machinally,I held him against my chest,still blowing a warm breath. Finally,he whispered something I didn't understand,then some words.

"I...Karkat. 

-Hello,Karkat. My name is John. Are you...a boy or a girl?

-I am fairy.

-A...fairy?"

It wasn't an answer,but still interesting to know. I had a mythology book on my shelf. Still holding Karkat wrapped in my shirt,I took it,and opened it. I searched through some pages,and found the creature I was looking for..

"Fairies are creatures looking like very small humans,often winged. They live in harmony with the nature and can have special powers,as healing or summoning animals."

But Karkat wasn't an human at all,and hadn't wings. I rode the next paragraph.

"Some fairies are a troll's (see page 413) under-species. They have horns,grey skin,blood of various colours and do not have wings until adulthood. Their lifespans are various according to their colour and sometimes very short,but in return they have bigger powers. Oh,you're a fairy-troll,Karkat?

-Yes.

-And you don't have wings,so you're not an adult yet. How old are you?

-Eight sweeps."

The book said it was about sixteen human years. The same age as me.

"And...what were you doing under the rain? It's suicide to go outside right now!

-I fell of the tree. I haven't wings. Wind led me here. Have to retrieve my friends.

-Well,Karkat...I don't think it's the good time to go. You'd better stay here until it goes away. And you're injuried too!

-Broke leg on glass wall."

I put him back on my pillow,under my table lamp,and examined his right leg,thin as my little finger. He had bruises and scratches everywhere,but only his member was bleeding.

"Wait me here,Karkat. I'll come back in two minutes."

I left him and went to the bathroom. I found disinfectant and lints in the medicine cabinet. When I came back to my room,Karkat was trying to climb over the piece of cake,sliding on the frosting.

"It's a cake. A human treat.

-It smells like honey."

He licked some of the whipped cream. His eyes sparkled.

"It tastes like flowers!

-I don't know how flowers taste,but give me your leg. Be careful,it prickles a little."

With some cotton,a toothpick and a piece of bandage,I made him a small dressing. When he took some steps on the cake's cream,he wasn't limping anymore.

"Tell me,Karkat,where do you come from?

-Fairies live in the world of the humans,but they don't know our existence. We live in little hidden communities. Mine lives in a tree in your garden.

-What? I never saw anybody in the tree!

-Magic.

-Oh,yes,of course. 

-But sometimes,when we are happy,you can see coloured tinsels in the night. In my...clan's case,it is green."

Green tinsels. This was familiar. As well as the fairy's voice.

"Green...lime green?

-Yes.

-Hey,Karkat...can fairies enter someone's dreams?

-Only in some cases."

A lightning suddenly stroke again. Karkat had a squeak,and hid in my cupped hands. The poor boy was shivering of fear. I held him like I did before,for long moments. We stayed in this pose until the thunder stopped to crack,and frighten the poor fairy. I lied on the bed,Karkat's tiny body on my chest,covered by my hands. 

"You know...I think you'll be with me for a pretty long time.

-Does it annoys you,John?

-Not in the slightest,Karkat. You are my guest."

Suddenly,my father called me for dinner.

"Karkat...I don't think it'd be good if my Dad sees you.

-I can be invisible to whose who don't believe in fairies."

He blinked. Had anything changed? No,but maybe only because I knew his existence already. I took him in my hands,turned the lights off,and climbed down the stairs. 

"This is my house. Here is the living-room."

A young girl appeared out of her room. Her cyan eyes were sparkling of a bright light.

"And this is Jane,my sister. Don't worry,I'll don't think she believes in any mythology,skeptic as she is.

-Hey,John " 

We entered the kitchen,and I sat at my place,Karkat on the table. He was interested by everything around him,the plates,the lights,the food. It was funny to see him discretely eat little vegetables. But he didn't want to touch at the meat; it was disrespectful for the animals,he said. 

"So,children,how was your day?

-Excellent,Dad! Mrs Lalonde told me I was excellent as usual! 

-And you,John?"

I was playing soccerball with Karkat and peas,so I hadn't heard at first.

"Oh...good. Pretty good,even." 

In fact,it sucked as usual. If my friends weren't here for me,I'd probably have mentally collapsed. My marrks weren't a total disaster,but still bad. After dinner,I took my fairy friend on my shoulder,and quickly went back to my room. 

"The storm is still here. You'll need a bed to sleep in."

A minute later,I was back with one of Jane's puppets beds. It was big enough for the troll. I added a kerchief as a cover.

"Thank you,John."

I put the bed on the bedside table,and let Karkat enter.

"I'll take a shower and I come back. I won't be long. I let the cake here if you're hungry."

-You know,you aren't supposed to protect me,John.

-I know. But I won't let you go until the sun isn't shining."

He wrapped himself in his cover,but soon after licked again some cream.. Heading to the bathroom,I thought about how lucky I was to know him.  
While the water runned down my shoulders,I heard the television downstairs. It would rain until next Thursday. Karkat had to stay one week with me. A promise is a promise,and I was now looking forward to these days we'll spend together.  
It's not everyday that you meet a fairytroll,afterall.  
I didn't want to stay on the computer for hours as usual,tonight. I wanted to stay with Karkat,watch over him,protect the little,weak creature. I could heard his tiny breath,almost the silence. I closed my eyes,lulled by this invisible noise,and fell asleep. My dream was different as usual. The sparkle rain was now red,bright red. And the words were comprehensible. They were saying strange things with my little friend's voice.

"I'm here,John. I'll care for you."

I'm sure I heard these exact words before. It was years ago.


	2. The day I saw them

"To jump, you just have to push the 'A' button. Here, use your hand."

The green mustachioed plumber on the screen jumped.

"Hee hee, it's funny!"

"-Move with the pad, like this."

"-And then?"

"-After that, you just have to follow me."

The sky was still dark,and the rain was colder than ever. Karkat and I had to stay inside, but he was bored. So, I introduced him to video games. We were playing in my room, avoiding Dad and Jane. With his little hands, Karkat could push the buttons on the NES remote next to him. Contrary to all expectations, he was good at Mario. After a few deaths, he was even better than me. Our game turned into a real competition to get that star or kill the boss. Saturday,10:25 am. I overslept a lot,or at least tried to, before Karkat woke me up. His leg was half-healed by now, but he was hungry. I was hungry as well, actually. Dad made pancakes today. Hidden behind my hand, my fairytroll friend was biting into the syrup-stained mini-crumpets I cut for him. Nobody could see him, but the pancake pieces disappearing was strange, if only for those who didn't believe in fairies. Then, we spent some hours together, playing video games, or sometimes just talking. Or even both, like right now.

"Do you have powers?"

"-Green trolls don't really have powers like healing or controlling animals, but they are really loyal. If they have a duty, they will do anything possible to fulfill it."

"-Do you too?"

"-Erm... in my case- Watch out for the turtle!"

I jumped on the winged red turtle, avoiding Karkat's death.

"That was close."

"-Yeah. My turn to ask; do humans have any powers?"

"-Er...no, sorry. We're boring as hell. My turn: has a fairy ever been in touch with a human?"

"-There are some various cases. If a human believes in fairies, he can see them. He can befriend them too. But he can also use their powers for bad purposes."

I threw some fireballs at the brown mushroom monsters. Karkat was faaaaar ahead of me. It was amazing to see him learning so fast.

"John,your friends are here!" Dad's voice suddenly called from downstairs.

What!? My friends? Why did they come with all this rain? I paused the game.

"Hey, I was winning!"

"-Sorry Karkat, but I have to go. You can come with me,if you want."

I took him on my shoulder as usual. But then, Jade, Rose and Dave entered the room.

"Johnneyyyy!"

"-Glad to see you, bro."

"-Hello, John."

They were still soaked. Karkat grabbed onto my neck, afraid by these unknown humans. I whispered at him him to relax.

"I had this new game I wanted to show you," Dave told me, a cool-looking video game in hand.

"-I think you took my notes by accident at school," Jade said.

"-We have the English lecture to do, remember, John?"

They all had a different reason, and lame ones at that. Dave noticed the two NES controllers on my bed.

"You're playing alone?"

"Er...yes..."

"With two 'motes?"

"Er...I mean...I was playing with...er...Jane. But Dad called her a minute ago."

I had a lame excuse too. Point for everybody. I searched in my schoolbag,and eventually found Jade's Math notebook.

"I got distracted, sorry Jade!"

"-Was it the teacher's boobs?",Dave snickered, and so did Jade. 

Suddenly,her little smile disappeared. Instead,she looked surprised,staring at me as if I had a giant spot on the face.

"John..."

"-Yes?"

"-Who...is he?"

She pointed my shoulder. I wasn't dreaming,she saw Karkat! However, the fairy didn't seem surprised at all.

"My name is Karkat. I'm a fairytroll."

"-Woah, I never guessed I'll ever see another one for real!"

Rose and Dave were looking at us as if we were nature freaks.

"Do you...believe in fairies, Jade?"

Why did I even ask, it was obvious. Jade was funny and dreamy, but she was very serious about these things. She slowly reached out to my shoulder until she was touching the troll's hand. After a few seconds, Karkat sat on her hand. Jade then gently rubbed his horn with her thumb.

"You seem pretty tall for an Unwinged."

"-I got height problems."

"-An...Unwinged?", I asked.

"-It's how young fairytrolls are called. Generally, wings grow up around seven sweeps, the equivalent of human puberty. But your friend is about eight, looking at his horns' size."

"-Say, Jade...how do you know all of this?"

"-Did I never tell you?"

I wanted to ask her what I should know, but suddenly a brown glitter trail appeared from behind her.

'What the...?'

She had said 'another one' earlier. I now knew why. The troll had large horns,like a bull's. He had vegetative clothing too, chestnut eyes, and fudge brown large wings protruded from his back, spreading the sparkly brown dust. He landed on Jade's hand, and bowed his head. Karkat did the same.

"My name is, uh, Tavros. I am the friend of your human's friend, so...are we friends too?"

"-John isn't my human. But I trust him,so...why not? I'm Karkat,by the way."

I gazed at Jade.

"You have a fairy too?"

"-My dog found him sleeping in the garden. He wanted to eat him, but I saved my little friend right in time. And now, he follows me everywhere. When did you find yours?"

"-It was the storm. The wind from the storm yesterday forced him into the window, and..."

"-Heyyy, guys, can someone tell me what is going on?"

I totally forgot about Rose and Dave. At least they just thought it was a game between Jade and me, and haven't seen the trolls. Karkat jumped back in my hand, and Tavros hid in Jade's hair.

"It's...nothing. Really."

I didn't think they'll believe me if I say I had a fairy friend. Nobody could ever believe me.

\---

After working on the lecture with Rose, playing twenty-four rap rounds with Dave that I always lost, and being annoyed by my sister, I could finally sit down with Jade and the two trolls. I learned many other things about them: there were four main clans, the Green, the Blue, the Purple and the Sunset. Tavros was a Sunset, and Karkat a Green. The fairytrolls hatched from little eggs during spring, then were taught to read, write and use their powers until they reached five sweeps old. Then,they were able to take part to the defense of the clan, or maybe just simple chores. Upon becoming seven sweeps old, they would grow wings,and their eyes would change colour. Their size would increase a bit too, but it was proportional to the lifespan of the troll: the more they live,the slower they grow up. At their death,they were tall as an adult cat. The soul of a troll couldn't die; there was a realm of the dead,that hosted them. At its top was the Sanguine Reaper, the protector of these souls. He would care for them until they find a young troll to reincarnate in. These legends were very interesting. I loved to listen as the fairies talked about it. Jade offered her opinions too, while I didn't do anything but listen. When the discussion was over,I glanced at my watch.

"Already 3:30 pm!? Whoa, we sure talked a lot!"

"-My Grandpa's gonna worry! I'm more than late for lunch! Thank you John, but I have to go. You coming, Tav?"

Without any other words,they left,and I stayed with Karkat.

"You know,it doesn't really matter if I don't have wings."

"-Oh? I thought flying was the dream of every troll."

"-Yeah but... not mine."

I stared at him. He seemed nervous each time we talked about this subject. I quickly switched.

"So,what does it mean,'not your human'?"

"-Some fairytrolls,when they become friends,can pass a sort of contract. They care for each other very much,and have to stay together until the oath breaks. And that means death."

"-...I see. I guess you don't want to pass one with me."

"-Not... yet. We've known each other for less than one day, John. Tavros and Jade have been friends for months."

True.

"You're sorta right, in fact. You have to stay a free troll, Karkat. You don't have any promise done."

"-Actually...I have one. Since I'm very young."

He sat on my lap. I wondered what kind of duty he could have done at this young age.

"It's about you, John. Do you know we were born the same day? Yes, it's true. In my culture, when a fairytroll and a human are born on the same day, the troll has to watch over the young human. Especially for the Greens."

"-But...if you really did, why haven't I ever seen you?"

"-We're not stupid. I acted in secret. Even you father doesn't know. Remember the day when you had an important homework to do, but you forgot?"

I did. I totally forgot a Very Important Problem, but the next day, it was miraculously done. With an unknown handwriting and a pencil. I spent weeks wondering about it, and thought it was Jane.

"And the day when I lost my favorite fluffed bunny...I cried a lot,and then...my plush walked to me,slowly...I'd never have guessed it was you!"

"-Hee hee."

I couldn't believe it. Karkat had known me since childhood,and cared for me like a guardian angel. Or rather a guardian fairy. While talking,I rubbed his soft hair with my finger.

"When you got hurt the other day... was it really an accident?"

"-I truly wanted to meet you, but the rule forbid it. I thought about using the storm as an excuse, but what's next really was an accident," Karkat muttered softly.

"-At least...you're with me,right?"

"-Right."

He hugged me as tight as he could. I held him against my chest, rubbing his little body. There weren't any traces of wings on his back. According to Jade,these should have been even on a child. But Karkat, my secret protector, was a pure Unwinged. I suddenly realized that he will maybe never have wings. He could never fly.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" I asked Karkat.

"-I...erm..."

I put a finger on his tiny lips.

"You don't have to tell me if it's embarrassing. It's okay."

He smiled, and hugged my finger. His body went warmer; I could feel his heartbeat, fast and yet almost inaudible, his soft breath, his smidgen hands against my skin. Under my finger, on his back, something began to pulse. I held him even closer, gently blowing warm air on his small neck,my heart beating fast too. We stayed together in this cozy embrace for a long minute,thinking about nothing,our eyes closed. When we finally broke apart, we were both smiling.

"You know, John...I'll think I'll stay for a while," Karkat grinned.

"-I hope so."

Behind the clouds, a ray of sun pierced through the rain. A wonderful rainbow was born,fascinating as my little fairytroll. My little, precious friend, the one I'll never let go.

"So...we haven't finished our game yet, right?"

I just had a snore as an answer. He fell asleep in my hand. I put him on his bed, tighted his dressing a little, and went on playing alone. And after our fun moments, it was almost frustrating.


	3. The day I kissed him

Rain was pouring over the car's roof, blurring the window panes, much to my Dad's annoyance. The morning fog made the empty streets even harder to see. I could feel the cold air even inside the vehicle, feeling bad for the people who had to run under the rain. In my pocket, Karkat was still half-asleep, dressed in a puppet's warm coat. It was too dangerous for him to stay home alone.  
Monday, 7:46 am. We were going back to school. During the weekend, my little friend had stayed with me. We had a lot of fun, playing together like children, or spending hours cuddling and saying cute things to each other. Of course, Dad and Jane noticed my withdraw, and tried to talk about my problems. Though I hadn't any social troubles, they wanted me to interact with them. It's true that I even hadn’t chatted with my friends in awhile, except for Jade; I needed tips about how to care for fairies. I learned they needed to gather nectar from flowers to stay in a good health, especially during cold seasons. I rescued some daisies from the garden for Karkat, and he thanked me with a kiss on the cheek. I remember that day – I blushed a lot in front of my sister, without any reason she could have seen. She even suspected a flower allergy. Speaking of Jane, I’ve been borrowing a lot of her puppet stuff these days, using them as clothes or plates. I hope she hasn't noticed. Though Karkat was feeling better, I wanted him to stay with me. I fitted up a little room for him on my drawer; he had his bed, a little light for the evening and even a small bathtub. He was always saying I didn't have to do all of this for him, but I really wanted to. He had watched over me for years, and now it was my turn to do the same for him. The car stopped in front of the Skaia Highschool. Jane and I grabbed our bags and took a deep breath, then opened the doors to run under the blades of rainwater. We raced like this for what felt like long, deadly seconds, my glasses already soaked, until we could enter. I took Karkat in my hands to warm him up, and looked for Jade. It was Tavros who led me with his pixie dust trail.

"Hey Jade, thanks a lot for your advice. My fairy friend could have died without it!"

"-He only could’ve died getting sick; trolls are sturdy no matter their size. Hello, Karkat!" Jade grinned.

"-Hey."

The bell rang. We climbed up the stairs, our respective trolls on our shoulders, and soon Rose and Dave joined us.

"Hey Egbert, still up with the invisible 'fairies'?"

"-I dunno what you're talking about."

In the classroom, I sat at my place, and Karkat slid down my arm on the table. The teacher, Mrs. Lalonde, told us to open our books at page 216 and do the 1st, 3rd and 4th exercises. Ouch, vectors today. Fu...dge.

"Remember, John: AB+BC makes AC. Negative AB equals BA," I heard Karkat mutter from beside my paper.

Thanks, Karkat. You saved my life – or at least my marks. I did the two first questions easily, and then Karkat told me to raise my head. On the table in front of me, a fairy was peacefully sleeping. It was an Unwinged girl with pointy horns and a red headband.

"Did you know there were other fairies here?" I whispered to Karkat.

"-I know troll/human friendship is quite common. There could be many others."

For the rest of class, I just watched the sleeping fairy, forgetting the exercises. Her little grin was adorable. Karkat jumped on her table, and landed next to her. Her human, a boy with a leather jacket, noticed him but didn't act. When the teacher picked up the papers, the fairy girl woke up. Karkat bowed to her, and she did the same. I understood it was some sort of ritual.

"My name is Karkat. What's yours?"

"-Terezi, hee hee. Let me guess... Sunset?"

"-Nope, Green. Purple?"

"-Blue. You seem kinda nice."

And then, the boy turned back to me.

"Hey, dude. He's your troll, right?" he asked.

"-Erm...yes..."

He smiled, and gave me his hand.

"My name's Rayen."

I shook it.

"John."

"-Tell me, John, you haven't passed a contract yet?"

"-Er...no, why? And how do you know?"

"-It's easy to tell. The connection between a troll and a human is very stong, you can almost touch it. You don't seem to truly believe in fairies; I can see it in your eyes."

This left me voiceless. On the table, Karkat and Terezi were talking about wings and excitation. My fairy friend, of course, wasn't really enjoying the topic. I still didn't know why. While watching, I noticed a thin, translucent string in the air, between Rayen and Terezi; it looked like the undulating waves above a fire. But during one second I released my focusing, it had disappeared.

"See? There's not this between you two. Anyone with enough practice can see it."

"-I don't understand...what’s so good about making this contract?"

He went back to his notebook; it was Terezi who instead answered me.

"Hee hee. It has maaaany advantages: your fairy protects you, and you protect him. You help each other no matter what. And if your troll is still a teenager..."

She turned around. On the back of her shirt, two vertical slits let slip a pair of small membrane-covered buds.

"...it helps him to become an adult!"

I turned my gaze to Karkat. He returned the look. If what she said was true, Karkat could finally find the answer to his problem. But before I could say anything, the bell rang. Terezi jumped in Rayen's pocket.

"Don't forget, John. Believe in fairies. And may the Sanguine Reaper help you to see the light."

He took his bag and disappeared in the corridor, letting me deal with my thoughts.

\---

During the next hours, I saw two other fairies. One was a fancy Unwinged with little cat teeth, accompanying a tipsy girl, and the other was tall as my arm, with giant pink wings, long horns and a lot of hair. The latter was with Ms. Crocker, the canteen's cook. So...adults believed in fairies too? How...strange. But Rayen was right: believing in fairies was helping to keep our child's soul. After some practice, I came to see the invisible link between each fairy and human I met. Jade had it too. It made me feel like sort of an outcast. Karkat comforted me; for him, a contract didn't mean anything.In any case, he was still with me. But after we went back home, in my room, I asked him something.

"You know...the rain has started to calm down. Soon, you'll be back with your family."

"-John..."

"-I understand that you miss them. You probably have a lot of friends that want you back, and maybe even a girlfriend or something..."

"-John, listen..."

"-I'll miss you, but when you get wings, you will pay me a visit once in a while, right?"

"-John, please shut up!" Karkat snaps.

I shut up.

"Listen... I thought a lot about it, and.. I don't want to leave you alone. I want to stay with you, John, because..."

He looked around us, and lowered his voice shyly. His cheeks turned all red. I could hardly hear what he muttered.

"...because... I really like you, John."

Oh. I couldn't hold back a smile.

"This is... great, Karkat. I like you too, buddy."

"-No, you don't understand. I like you as... love, is that what you call it?"

Love. He loved me. He wanted more than having a friendship with me. We both wore an embarrassed expression. It was Karkat who first broke our silence.

"I'm not going force you to seal a pact, but I just want to stay with you. No… I need to stay with you. You taught me to hope, to believe in someone, and that someone is both you and me. You helped me gain self-esteem, to finally have rest after everything I’ve endured."

He lay down in my hand. I saw a scarlet tear rolling down his face. His body was as cold as it was the first time I saw him. I carefully brushed away his tears with my thumb, and held him close to me. After a moment of hesitation, I gently kissed the tip of his horns.

"I don't know if I feel the same about you, Karkat. I don't know if I even have the right to love you. And yet… no matter what, I want you to stay here… with me."

I felt the pulse in his back again. Also something lightly vibrating. Could it be...?

"Karkat...this thing I feel… are these...your wings?"

"-I don’t have wings, John. You know that."

"-Wait.. so then what is this?"

He didn't answer.

"Karkat, is your life...hard? Do they bully you because you don’t have wings?" I questioned softly.

"-Not really. I... I’m different than the others."

"-Oh?"

"-Look at my tears, John. Tell me what's wrong with them."

His tears had the same brilliance of the smallest of rubies. He had only shed two, a pair of little garnets on his dove-grey skin. Two little cherries rolling down his face. They were the colour of...

"...your blood."

"-Exactly, John."

I suddenly understood everything. It came like a slap in my face. I knew enough troll culture to know that Karkat's blood wasn't common at all.

"I am a mutant. I'm a nobody. I had to hide myself for sweeps, hoping my wings would never show up. And that's why... I'm still a child."

He began sobbing, crying like a baby. I hugged him, cuddling his small body, holding him against my chest. Slowly, gently, I touched his lips to mine. It wasn't a true kiss- our mouths weren't the same size- but the feeling was the same. The pulse in his back had gone insane now, and my heart beat along with it. Compared to our actual connection, a contract's link was nothing. I closed my eyes, letting the feeling take over. He rubbed my cheeks with his hands, his little tongue licking mine, which was actually somewhat arousing, albeit the shame I felt for thinking like that. When we broke apart, we were both smiling. And when I looked in his eyes, I saw his pupils were red. And so were his shiny new wings.  
Carmine membranes, each as large as my hand, in the shape of a crab's claws, they were just wonderful. Ornamented with arabesques and amazing designs, they were still a bit sticky, as those of a butterfly which just hatched from its chrysalis. I could feel the pulse beating in these candy red protuberances- the rapid beating of Karkat's heart. A heart full of love.

"K...Karkat..." I stuttered.

"-John, did you just... I...grew up, just like this?"

"-I think...yes. Karkat, you're finally a mature troll! You have wings, do you imagine? Now you can fly to everywhere you want!"

He stood up, and began to flutter his wings. Each time he raised them, red glitter began to fall, just like it had in my dream. After some unsuccessful tries, he took off in a sparkly blast. He drew some curves, twists and turns in the air with his tinsel dust, leaving red everywhere. Outside, during our kiss, the rain had finally stopped falling. Karkat and I both had the same idea.

"I'm going outside, Dad!"

"-Be careful, John, it's still wet!"

My fairy friend flew between the flowers, the bushes, shouting joyously whenever he could. In the tree, I saw them. The Green trolls, watching Karkat's acrobatics.

"Hey, Karkat, wanna race?"

“-Heck yeah! Last one to the next street is a wingless wiggler!"

I ran, he flew. We both laughed. I put all my speed in the task, but could hardly pass by him. I didn't care if people could saw me, running in the puddles like a child. I was with Karkat, and that was all that matters. Finally, exhausted by this exercise, I came to a stop.

"You won, Kat. Yeah, that's it, I'm a wiggler."

He laughed a lot. But all of a sudden, his grin faded. Instead, there was fear in his eyes.

"John, watch out!"

I turned to see that, on the stretch of drenched, slippery road, right behind me, a car was driving in a mad rush. I didn’t have enough time to react. The last thing I felt was the vehicle colliding with me, and the last thing I heard was Karkat's screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That love story is so rushed that for one second, I thought I was working at Disney's.


	4. The day I revived

Beep. Beep. This noise was driving me insane.  
Beep. Beep. It was coming from the machine, the one that looked like a computer. It displayed a lot of numbers, and an odd green line was forming a wave with each beep.  
Beep. Beep. A heartbeat monitor. This thing was recording a heartbeat. I now understood the meaning of these awful beeps. These were his heartbeats.  
Beep. Beep. I followed the black cables, flew over them with the new wings I was ashamed of. Just after I got them, John had an accident. This was all my fault.  
Beep. Beep. I followed the cables until I alighted on my friend's chest, where they were connected.  
Beep. Beep. They brought him here, on a white bed, in a white room, with people in white coats. His skin was all pale, and it was as if his whole body was frozen by the pain. He wasn't making any noise, but I could feel his troubled breath under the mask they kept pressed to his face.  
Beep. Beep. His broken glasses were placed on the bedside table, and his eyes were squeezed shut. I saw his wounds before they were bandaged; whole parts of his body were blue, his limbs were bleeding all over, and he wasn't breathing by himself anymore.  
Beep. Beep. I stayed near him when they put him in the big white and red car. His father and his sister were also here, though they couldn't see me. But at some moment, Jane noticed me. Perhaps she does sometimes look into the void, despite what I thought.  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeep. The beeps started to slow. Under my hands, I felt his heartbeat slow as well. Suddenly, I heard the door open. I hid under John's pillow, and two people entered: John's dad and a guy in a white coat. My friend's father sat next to his son, his eyes full of tears.

"John..." he whispered softly. There was pain in his voice.

"-I'm afraid he can't hear you, Mr. Egbert. He is in a deep coma, and probably won't wake up for a long time."

"-But... he will survive, right?"

The man seemed embarrassed. I feared his answer.

"I won't lie to you. He is suffering a lot, even in his sleep. His waking will not happen before a long time, and even if he survives, there will be long-term effects. He would have to stay connected to a machine to keep his heart beating."

"-I understand."

The man in the fedora, serious each time I saw him, was now crying. If I only could, I would have done something to comfort him.

"Would you like to...stay with him for a minute?"

"-Yes, please."

The white guy left, and Mr. Egbert took John's hand in his own. I didn't move, I just watched him from behind the pillow.

"John. I don't know if you can hear me. But you have to know, I miss you, Jane misses you, all of your friends too. I hope you will wake up soon. And...if you don't..."

He shed another tear. I heard him sobbing, trying to keep a serious face.

"You have to know that I love you. You are my only son, and you will always stay in my heart."

He kissed him on the forehead. He was really crying now. I did my best to stay hidden in front of this sadness. John was gonna die, and it was all my fault. Because of these stupid wings, of my stupid blood, of my even more stupid lack of pow-  
Wait.

"I love you, John."

Slowly, both proudly smiling and shabbily crying, he left the room. I quickly climbed on John's chest, and put my hands on his neck. I hadn't any healing powers as the other Greens, but I had this one. I closed my eyes, and focused on all of our happy moments together: our long evenings spent playing video games, our hours of cuddles, all of our other games. The taste of the cake's cream. The warmth of the movie nights together. The running under the rain, when he tried to stay dry while I was safe in his pocket. The joy I felt when I got my wings, when I understood I loved him, when we first kissed. And on the top of all, the promise I made to care for John until his death. It was worth way more than a contract. When I opened my eyes, under my hands was the thin string of a necklace, with a shining ruby pendant in the shape of a heart.

"This is all I can give to you, John."

The door opened. This time, Jane was here too, holding her father's hand. She had cried a lot too.

"You'll understand that it's the best to do for him", the white man said.

"-Yes... I don't want my brother to suffer anymore. And if that means...that..."

"-Right, Jane."

She took John's hand too.

"Bye, little brother. You were very precious to me."

She sobbed. Her father hugged her.

"Please... abridge his pain."

"-Are you sure, Mr. Egbert?"

He nodded. Slowly, the white man pressed some buttons on the machine's keyboard. I heard the beeps becoming more spaced, and finally stop. The boy had an horrible spasm, and then ceased to move. Jane hid her face in her dad's arms. Under my hands, John's breath had disappeared. He was dead. The ruby began to shine of a soft, warm, sanguine red light. I smiled, knowing that I forgot to stay invisible. I smiled to the humans, and escaped by the open window. But they didn't even matter to look at me.

\---

Cold. I'm cold.  
There’re coloured little lights all around the place. Orange, green, blue floating flames.  
This place is familiar to me, but I’ve never been here. Karkat told me about somewhere like this.  
A little pink fire suddenly rises up in the air, and flies like a comet. It lands near me.  
In someone’s hand.  
The person holding the light is the tallest fairy I've ever seen. He is as big as an adult human. His face is hidden under a hood, I can only see a pair of gigantic horns protruding out of holes in the dark fabric. He wears a black cloak hiding his whole body. It is made of dead flowers. On the other clawed hand, he is holding a huge scythe. I know where I am: in the realm of the dead, in front of the Sanguine Reaper himself. He isn't as scary as I first thought.  
The first thing I think to do is to ask if I'm dead. As an answer, he makes the pink flame disappear in a fuchsia light beam, and tells me I'm in the troll's place of dead souls. He points to something on my neck, and I see a strange necklace with a ruby heart pendant. He asks me if I know the meaning of this. I say no. He then tells it is the power of a unique blood colour, the power of a second chance. The power to allow someone to reincarnate, as himself does. I ask if he means red blood. He then unfolds his wings, and I saw a pair of huge ripped red membranes, each one twice his own size. I'm amazed by these shining scarlet traces, showing the thousands of sweeps he has lived. These are certainly very heavy.  
He then says that my friend wants me back. He takes the ruby, and turns it into a bright red fire. He tells me not to worry, that I will see Karkat soon. I feel myself floating. The light becomes brighter, and flies around my paralyzed body, like a falling star. My head aches, I feel something pulse on my back. Soon, everything is surrounded by the carmine burst of light. I'm blinded. And then, everything turns dark. I see green glitter, as in my dreams. There are noise echoes, but suddenly, I hear a voice calling my name.

\---

"Johnen? Johnen, are you okay?" an unknown voice was saying.

I was lying down on a soft bed. I wasn't feeling the pain anymore. It hurt to open my eyes. But when I finally did, I saw many faces above mine.

"Let him breath, please! He's still knocked out!"

This voice was Karkat's. Quickly, the unknown faces went away, and I felt myself held by familiar arms. No...it wasn't the arms I knew, but rather this feeling of warmth and love. Karkat, my precious fairytroll.

"Please let us alone, he needs to use himself to his new body."

'New body'? What did that mean? When the others left, Karkat hugged me like a baby, and kissed my cheek.

"Johnen, if you knew how much I love you...", he said.

"-I know..."

I didn't recognize my voice. It was too high-pitched. And something else was wrong.

"Why...did you call me Johnen?"

"-It fits better. I mean, for a fairy."

What? No... Maybe I understood wrong. But I realized Karkat was holding me in his arms. His head was big as mine.

"You...grew up?" I asked.

"-Er, nope. Look to your right, Johnen."

I looked at my right. The walls were made of wood, like the inside of a tree. There were flowers, moss and leaves almost everywhere. Flat rocks were used as a table and chairs, green dust covered the soil ground, and under the fireflies' light, I saw myself in the reflect of a piece of glass.  
The first thing I noticed was my grey skin, covered in leaf clothes.

"K...Karkat..."

"-It was the only thing that could save you, Johnen. Welcome in our world, my new fairy friend."

I slowly raised my hand to my horns; they were gold yellow, curved one upward, the other down. My eyes were yellow too, with red irises. I realized I could see even without glasses. My hair was a bit longer, and my teeth were sharper. Suddenly, Karkat softly rubbed my back, and made me unfold my new wings. Ruby red, long, in the shape of a butterfly's, they were splendid. I fluttered them a bit, and some shining dust fell from them.

"Whoa..."

This splendidness reminded me of something. Someone else with red blood.

"Karkat... would you believe me if I say I've met the Sanguine Reaper?"

"-Whaaa?!" he choked. "I mean, really?"

"-Yeah... and he seems billions of sweeps old. His wings are really huge, and they are red too!"

Karkat couldn’t believe his ears. He had a glance at his own wings.

"Do you...think... you and I..."

"-Who knows? Maybe. Maybe we'll live that long too."

He looked around the room, lost in his thoughts. But then, he smiled to me.

"-Hey, Johnen. Since you're the same size as me... I can do this."

He hugged me as tight he could. My wings fluttered of happiness.

"Or this."

He put my head on his chest, still hugging me, and kissed my horns. Was that... how it felt to have these? Slowly, I raised my head, and kissed him. This time, he really slipped his tongue in my mouth. I gently bit his lip, my fingers combing his hair, his hands on my waist, sneaking under my vegetative shirt. Our kiss lasted for a long minute, until we broke apart.

"I fuckin' love you, Karkat."

That's right, I said fuck. And?

"I love you too."

He took my hand, and we flew outside the tree. It was the evening; the sun was already low in the sky. The orange and red light was reflecting on the water puddles all over the sidewalks, making the street look like a lava river. Its bright, warm colours filled my heart with joy. The joy of being alive, with my beloved one at my side. The wind was lightly blowing in the tree leaves, I felt it in my wings, the pledge of my new life. I couldn't resist to take off, to fly between the branches, the dew-stained shrubs of the garden. I recognized it: it was my garden, with the little green ghost ride, the tire tree... and the young girl sitting on it. I flew to her, trying to catch her attention, to no avail.

"I'm sorry, Johnen," Karkat said, appearing next to me. "Her pain made her unable to believe in anything now."

I sat on Jane's shoulder. Her eyes were wet and red. I kissed her on the cheek.

"You have to know I'll always be here for you," I whispered in her ear.

She suddenly blinked, and cried again.

"John...even if you're gone, I can still hear you...why?" she muttered to herself.

"-Because I'm right here, Janey. And I'll always be."

She raised her head, and looked around her.

"J...John? Where...are you?"

I realized she couldn't see me. Of course. It was part of the 'deal': to bury my ancient life of 'John' the human. Even if it was painful, both for me and for her, but also for all of my friends. Karkat grabbed my arm.

"We have to go, Johnen. Our new friends are waiting for us."

I brushed a tear out of my cheek, and nodded. I turned back from Jane, accepting the new life of 'Johnen' the fairytroll.

"At least...", I softly said, "at least, if all the red bloods live as long as the Sanguine Reaper himself... I could watch over my friends, and even their descendants. I'll be their guardian fairy, like you were for me, Karkat."

"-That would be very noble of you, Johnen."

"-Fairies will do anything to fulfill a promise."

We smiled, kissed again, and flew back to the tree.

"You made me fly, Johnen. And now it's my turn. Be proud, forget all of your fears, and spread out your wings! This is how you can fly above all of your problems."

"-Thanks a lot, Karkat."

Together, we looked at the sky. Tomorrow would be another day, with other problems, other dreams, but with the same promises, made to the same friends, in the hand of the same lover, and with new wings on my back. I smiled, and fluttered inside, where many new friends were waiting for us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Johnen did watch over his relatives. He never had any children himself, and kept living with Karkat for many generations. He was there to watch over every new chapter of the Tales, like a silent guardian of sorts.   
> Karkat and him were happy for most of their life. They would age slowly, growing in size until their wings wouldn't bear them anymore. That's when they agreed to give up, by sharing a last brew of plants highly toxic to fairies.   
> They died the way they wanted after centuries of living.


End file.
